Innovation

Agricola Lelita S.A. has adopted an innovative strategy for sustainable agriculture by emphasizing ethical banana and cocoa crop production practices. During the pandemic, entrepreneur and director Michel Doumet changed from trading and importing to farming to address the epidemic. As a means to address the major global issues listed in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Agricola Lelita S.A. has been implementing several measures to reduce its negative environmental impact and enhance food availability in response to the rising demand for sustainable practices. By implementing these modifications, the company is helping UN SDG 2: Zero Hunger and UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, while also strengthening local economic sustainability. One of the first main developments of Agricola Lelita S.A. was its in-house plant nursery, which enabled the company to produce banana shoots from existing plants, reducing cost and dependence on other companies. The nursery was an effective and ethical way to strengthen the company's commitment to sustainable agriculture techniques by producing plants at a tenth of the prior cost. 

Furthermore, Agricola Lelita S.A. has shifted to organic weed and pest management procedures by using gasoline-powered brush cutters instead of chemical pesticides. This strategy promotes a healthier environment and supports ethical consumption by preserving the integrity of the soil and reducing chemical exposure for both customers and employees. Recently, Agricola Lelita has been planning the installation of solar energy systems to minimize its dependence on energy and diesel in response to Ecuador's regular power interruptions. This action corresponds with its long-term goals of energy efficiency and sustainable growth. By implementing these ethical strategies, Agricola Lelita has demonstrated how sustainable agriculture can promote local food, sustainability, environmental health, and community resilience, all of which are in line with the UN SDGs.

Inspiration

The desire to develop a strong company foundation during the COVID-19 epidemic and the support of a friend were the primary factors motivating Michel Doumet, the founder of Agricola Lelita S.A., to enter the agriculture industry. Michel explains, “Three years ago, I decided to enter this agricultural project, motivated by a friend with experience in cacao and banana plantations. He invited me to join him to manage the administrative and financial aspects.” When his colleague left, Michel stepped into the duties despite his lack of experience in agriculture and started gaining knowledge at every opportunity, which fueled his passion for the project. The worldwide pandemic motivated Michel, causing him to rethink the sustainability of his prior companies. Michel considered agriculture as a chance to support an essential industry in society. Michel stated that, “In 2020, during the pandemic, I ventured into agriculture… One of the advantages of this new agricultural business is that people don’t stop eating.” 

Michel's commitment to sustainable practices and the strength of a resilient business was strengthened by his awareness of the stability and significance of agriculture in the local economy and food security. Michel's passion kept growing, and now he is thinking about expanding his production for export. Michel shares, “What excites me is that in this business… we could grow significantly… Seeing that it’s possible to build a company with diverse possibilities and reach something much bigger is motivating.” Michel's journey has had a lot of resilience, adaptability, and a growing interest in sustainable agriculture.

Overall impact

The overall impact of the innovation showed how the company Agricola Lelita S.A. provided such a great implementation of innovative agriculture practices by implementing technology that others may not be using or are not up to that level of innovative agriculture. By implementing the technology of solar energy, the company tries to cut back on the use of diesel and provides resource efficiency. The short-term effects at Agricola Lelita S.A. are that the productivity of the company was enhanced due to its cause and efficient use of the new technology. Because of the new innovations, it leads to better work environments and conditions for the workers. The other benefit is that it causes a great view on the job and can lead to growth based on the positive reviews. The short-term economic growth is the positively fast-growing productivity of the company. 

The long-term effects of the innovation are how sustainable the growth of the company is. The agricultural practices show how the mission of the company and the motive brings in more attention to people and how it helps the world by implementing SDGs. The company helps bring more attention to its economic stability, which leads to the SDG of economic growth.

Business benefit

Due to the fact that Agricola Lelita S.A. implemented agriculture technologies, many good things have happened. The innovation has made the company increase productivity and improve how efficient it is. Because of this, they have increased their revenue growth. By creating such a great job environment, it allows more jobs to be created and more people to take them based on how good the satisfaction is. The need for new employees can lead to creating more jobs for hiring, causing the company to keep growing. The practices of agriculture technology expand the company more by attracting new customers and drawing attraction based on the shift to solar energy. That can lead to an environmentally friendly company image, which looks good for the company but also for customers.

Watch video

Social and environmental benefit

The innovation at Agricola Lelita S.A. benefits society and the environment in many ways. They used sustainable agricultural practices such as solar power energy implementation and organic farming. The company tries to lower their ecological footprint and reduce the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. That leads to a better and healthier eco-friendly resource such as the natural soil and ground as well as the water supply. The company's community implementation shows how engaged they are and how they create more and more jobs for others as the company keeps expanding and growing. This shows the implementation of local workers helping the community with people who are looking for work and for the use of the agricultural implementations helping the community and the world. 

This also helps the economy in the area by creating such a great workforce that more and more people want to work there, creating a social change and cultural sustainability. Not only does the company help by creating an eco-friendly work environment and creating jobs, but it raises awareness about the sustainable practices. This is also important to the company because it can bring new customers and create a bigger image based on how it has so many benefits to the environment and the cause of the company.

Interview

Michel Doumet Chedraui, Director

Watch video